The Joke That Had the Whole Church Laughing
Tommy was only seven, but his first confession felt like the biggest moment of his life. His grandma had marched him into church with that serious look every kid knows too well — the “no fooling around today” look.
He stepped into the little wooden booth, heart racing, palms sweaty, wondering if the priest could somehow see all the bad things he’d ever done. When the tiny window slid open, Tommy nearly jumped out of his shoes.
“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned,” he whispered, just like Grandma taught him.
Once he started, the truth poured out fast.
A stolen pencil.
A bad word.
A lie to his mom.
And the Barbie incident — which, honestly, the priest found funnier than sinful.
But then the priest asked gently, “Is there anything else, my son?”
Tommy froze. His eyes widened. His voice dropped to a whisper.
“Well… yeah. There is one more thing.”
The priest leaned closer. “Go on.”
Tommy swallowed hard.
“Last night… I put ketchup packets under my grandpa’s toilet seat so when he sat down—”
He paused, bracing himself.
“—it popped and he screamed so loud he scared the dog into knocking over the TV.”
For a full second, there was complete silence.
Then the priest burst out laughing.
By the time Tommy walked out of that booth, the priest was still wiping tears from his eyes — and Grandma, who had no clue what he’d confessed, wondered why both of them looked like they’d just survived a comedy show instead of church.
And that’s how Tommy’s very first confession became the funniest moment that parish had seen in years.